Aloe Gentle Facial Wash, for Sensitive Skin is a very good, fragrance-free, gentle water-soluble cleanser for its intended skin type. In fact, this is great for all but very oily skin and rinses cleanly while removing makeup easily.

Strengths: One of the few cosmetic companies that lists complete product ingredients on its Web site; affordable; the Aloe Products for Sensitive Skin are appropriate for that skin condition; good selection of eye makeup removers; one of the best pressed-powder foundations around; great pressed powder; liquid eyeliner; lip gloss; nice selection of affordable makeup brushes and specialty products.

Weaknesses: The Tea Tree Oil collection; subcategories that focus on one beneficial ingredient (vitamin E, vitamin C, etc.) to the exclusion of others, making for several collections of one-note products; no effective routine to address blemishes; poor skin-lightening products; surprisingly lackluster to poor foundations and concealers.

This England-based company was one of the first to offer "natural" products in freestanding stores. Founder Anita Roddick opened her first shop in 1976, and the store's success spurred her husband to turn the business into a franchise opportunity, thus spawning the opening of several more stores across England and, by the end of the 1980s, the United States. As Roddick has commented, the timing of her stores and their merchandise occurred just as Europe was "going green." It is not unrealistic to speculate that were it not for the success of The Body Shop, companies such as Aveda, Origins, and numerous others may not have started on such sure footing. Most consumers are drawn to products with natural ingredients, even though those from The Body Shop, like many other companies claiming natural, use the same standard cosmetic ingredients seen throughout the industry. If anything, The Body Shop's worldwide expansion has caused them to rely less on natural ingredients and more on robust, effective, synthetic ingredients. Can you imagine the smell of millions of bottles of Banana Shampoo rotting in a warehouse?

A somewhat controversial business transaction occurred in 2006 when L'Oreal purchased The Body Shop. Fans of the brand and its stance on animal testing protested that this corporate marriage made for strange bedfellows given L'Oreal's dodgy history with animal testing. The acquisition had many consumer groups focused on ethical and organic business practices calling the sale a cop-out and accusing Roddick of selling out to "the enemy." Roddick commented that the sale had more to do with L'Oreal wanting to learn more about community trade, which could prove a financial windfall for the developing nations and tribes The Body Shop has conducted business with for years. (Sources: www.cosmeticsdesign.com/news/ng.asp?n=66584-l-oreal-the-body-shop-takeover-ethical; and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4894854.stm). Regardless of motivation or ethical issues, what's certain is that L'Oreal's financial and developmental clout will allow the continued expansion of The Body Shop, although in terms of product improvements, you'll find more signs of that with the makeup than the skin-care products because that is L'Oreal's strength.

An attractive point of difference for this line is their ongoing commitment to environmental and social causes as well as fair trade and animal rights advocacy. For those efforts, the company (fueled by Roddick's personal passion for such issues) deserves high marks. If only the products were as sensible as the company's Mission Statement! It's not that there aren't good products to be found in The Body Shop's familiar green-trimmed stores, but far too many of them are ordinary formulations whose natural ingredients make little impact aside from looking good on the label. And many products contain irritating natural ingredients or fragrance components that place them a notch below the competition. This is not a company that has kept up with the latest research in what skin needs to look and feel its best. Instead, most of their products take a one-note approach to skin care, forcing customers to choose whether they want the benefits of vitamin C or E, seaweed, aloe, or a host of others—several of which have so-so benefit for skin, or less so in the amounts included in The Body Shop's products. Still, the line has remained affordable and is readily available, and so as long as you pay attention to the products that are worth your time and money, The Body Shop has some effective products in store for you.

Postscript: The Body Shop's founder, Anita Roddick, passed away in September 2007 at the age of 64. Although through the years we have had my issues with several of her company's products, it must be said that her business acumen and worldwide humanitarian efforts deserve accolades. She was a unique, passionate businesswoman, and we have no doubt her input will be sorely missed.

For more information about The Body Shop, owned by L'Oreal, call (800) 263-9746 or visit www.thebodyshop.com.

The Body Shop Makeup

Makeup isn't the main attraction at The Body Shop, at least if you survey the store and notice the small display compared to shelf after shelf of body lotions, butters, scrubs, and shower gels. Yet if you're drawn to the makeup display you will find it is nicely organized, with product labels and prices in plain view, plenty of testers and mirrors, and even a bit of counter space for your purse. It's an inviting setup, and the sales staff is low key and willing to let you play, which is always a plus. As it turns out, L'Oreal's acquisition of The Body Shop has paid off handsomely for the makeup, which received a much-needed spiffing-up in October 2006. Several products were reformulated, new products (mostly improvements) debuted, and the packaging improved both functionally and visually. Due to the extra attention paid to the makeup you will find some outstanding options for foundation, powder, liquid eyeliner, makeup brushes, and creamy lipsticks. The prices are reasonable too, but they're no bargain if you don't shop this line carefully. Still, L'Oreal has infused some panache into a makeup collection whose core products were becoming ho-hum, and the changes are welcome!

About the Experts

The new Beautypedia Team proudly and unequivocally maintains the commitment to help you find the best products possible for your skin. We do this by relentlessly pursuing and relying on published scientific research so you will have unbiased information on what works and what doesn't-and the sneaky ways you could be making your skin worse, not better!

The Beautypedia Team reviews all products using the same research, criteria, and objectivity, whether the product being reviewed is from Paula's Choice or another brand.

I have been using this cleanser for years and loved it, but now I noticed the formula change they removed the vitamine E and glycerine and the aloe vera is now listed as the last ingrediënt. I am very disappointed in the body shop.

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Iman

05.28.2015

love it but worried about the formula change

My go to face wash for over a year now. Good for my sensitive oily-combo skin. I use a makeup remover for my eyes but for the rest of my face this gets my makeup off first time, no problem. I only recommended 3 stars though because this product has undergone a formula change in Canada and I'm a little worried. We'll see!

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Merrylee

05.12.2015

Favorite Cleanser

Another great 4 star suggestion from Paula. My skin is oily and not sensitive but I find this cleanser ideal. I love the foaming yet non drying effect it has. I love putting my other facial products after cleansing with this. I also love the practicallity of the foaming texture as I like the practicallity of the Bioderma Sensibio micellar water that Paula also recommended which I usually use at night.

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Anonymous

02.09.2015

starfox

I question how this got a 4star rating. I'm looking for a thorough but gentle cleanser that removes makeup and bought this cos of its rating. I use Boscia Purifying cleansing gel which is ideal for what I want but it costs $28; I want something just as good but cheaper. The Aloe foaming cleanser ain't it. This smells odd but I can deal with that, it does NOT remove make up well. I have to pump 4x and wash twice to remove foundation only. It's slightly drying, but not terribly so.
2 stars.

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Anonymous

01.25.2015

maybe better for warmer weather months

off-putting alcohol fragrance (even if it isn't an ingredient; can't imagine pc would've labelled as 'best' if it was). suspected it broke me out in a small area on my cheek but my skin eventually adjusted..only to yield dry patches on my cheekbones! don't think i'll continue using (skin type: normal -> oily in summer; normal -> combination/dry in winter).

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Katie C.

01.24.2015

Not ok for my intolerant skin

I heard a great review from a friend & the product feels & smells nice. However both this and the toner randomly make my face sting - sometimes one product is fine others not, so I'll have to moved on. I do like both the aloe moisturisers in the range though & have no problems.

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Kerry N

05.05.2013

Not great for makeup removal

I found i needed a lot of the product to remove my makeup. Would be perfect for someone who doesn't wear makeup or to wash your face with in the AM before applying makeup.

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